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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28357893">3. House Decorating Contest</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfinityIllusion/pseuds/InfinityIllusion'>InfinityIllusion</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>On the First Day of Christmas maisumi Gave to Me... [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, In which GoF was just missing MORE competitions and you didn't know it!, Missing Scene esque, This was yet again probably not what was intended by the prompt and yet here we are, gof au, pulling Gryffindor common room imagery from the movies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:48:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28357893</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfinityIllusion/pseuds/InfinityIllusion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What do you do when you've got a bunch of students cooped up for the holidays at a boarding school with magic?</p><p>Well, if you're a Ravenclaw, you propose a House decorating competition.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>On the First Day of Christmas maisumi Gave to Me... [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075151</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>3. House Decorating Contest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/maisumi/gifts">maisumi</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yet again with the prompt and the execution running in separate directions!  Although I think I'm closer than yesterday's prompt hahaha.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>“Bloody hell, how much of this stuff is there?” Ron gaped at the festive red and gold tinsel that was currently being conjured in the Gryffindor common room.  The tinsel was gather in piles tall enough that they concealed the casters from view.</p><p>“Shut up and start levitating Weasley,” Alicia Spinnet replied. “We’ve only got another day before the competition is called.”</p><p>“What competition?” Harry asked as he and Ron rounded the piles in front of them. As preoccupied as he’d been with finding a date for the Yule Ball and just generally trying not to think about the Triwizard Tournament in general, he hadn’t been paying much attention to the various bits of news floating around the common room.  Despite that kind of gossip likely being a good distraction from the Tournament, Harry wasn’t inclined to think that any gossip involving him this year would be in anyway good.</p><p>“<em>Boys</em>,” the Gryffindor chasers rolled their eyes at them, but Angelina Johnson was still kind enough to explain.</p><p>“Since we’re all cooped up for the holidays, one of the Ravens thought we’d all like a bit of good-natured competition among the houses using various bits and tricks we’ve all learned this year. You’re only allowed to use spells you’ve learnt this year, and they’ve got to be school-appropriate of course, but that’s why all of us 6th years are working on our Conjuring. I’d better ace that bit of our NEWTs with all this practice.</p><p>“<em>Anyways</em>, whoever decorates their common room best wins a round of butterbeer for their whole house and also a chunk of Honeydukes’ best chocolate.”</p><p>“Oh,” Harry blinked. “Alright then. So you need help levitating stuff?”</p><p>“Yeah, we’ve got all this tinsel,” Angelina nodded to her own pile of the stuff, “to put up all over the place.</p><p>“7th years have the ornaments and are supervising the lower year’s transfiguration for their own contribution. Dean Thomas is up in your dorm working on some absolutely magical banner, and the twins made off with Seamus Finnegan.”</p><p>Collectively, those in the Gryffindor common room shivered.</p><p>“Well, we certainly won’t lose for being <em>boring</em>,” Harry said bracingly.</p><p>“Might be because we’re dead, mate,” Ron replied, but gamely picked up a pile of tinsel. “Where d’you want it?”</p><p>“Up the dorm stairs and over the balcony and windows. Granger is taking care of the girls’ side. I’ll call her down so she can teach you the charm.”</p><p>Harry winced a bit, and Ron’s shoulders stiffened slightly, but he didn’t say anything.</p><p>When she came down to help, Hermione was a bit sharp with them both, but did still teach them the temporary sticking charm. Ron escaped up the staircase afterwards, while Harry was recruited to place <em>lumos</em> spells in newly transfigured baubles.</p><p>“Isn’t this cheating a bit?” He asked the 7th year who was checking his work. “I mean, <em>lumos</em> is a first year spell.”</p><p>They shrugged. “You didn’t know how to detach it from your wand and sustain it though, did you?”</p><p>“Well, no....”</p><p>“Then it’s an alteration you’ve learned this year,” they concluded firmly. “Besides, I’ll teach how to change the color next, and seeing how you do with that, we’ll see if you can get the version that flashes. Excellent for Morse Code messages and for decorating the tree Longbottom got us.”</p><p>“Right,” Harry said, unconvinced. But it’s not like he had any real arguments to contradict the person helping him, and who knew? Maybe this would help in whatever the next task was.</p><p>He kind of doubted it, though.</p><p> </p><p>With all the students working down to the last minute on the various decorations, everyone except those tapped to judge (who had left earlier to convene with the other judges) were still in the common room when the bells rang.</p><p>“Alright, everyone out,” the 7<sup>th</sup> years called, so the Gryffindor’s trooped out to wait in front of the portrait hole for the committee to arrive.</p><p>Seeing as no one really trusted each other to remain neutral on the matter, a mix of students and teachers were recruited or volunteered. Professors Flitwick and Sprout volunteered, and then Professor McGonagall, as Deputy Headmistress was recruited, which meant Snape had to come for fairness. So then the whole scoring and teacher committee had to be redone with the four heads added as advisory members, who were only allowed to comment on the spell- or potion-work. Madam Hooch was decided to be the head, while Professors Vector, Babbling, Sinistra, and Trelawney (somehow) would round out the staff judges. The prefects from 7th year in all the houses were the student judges, who were overseen by the Head Boy and Girl.</p><p>Harry, personally, thought the whole thing sounded exhausting since there was already a major competition going on and why would someone want to create another?</p><p>On the other hand, no one else had really gotten to participate in the tournament except the champions (minus the Yule Ball), and it wasn’t like the tournament judges were asking the crowd’s opinions for scoring.</p><p>Which was really all for the better, Harry thought and shuddered.</p><p>“Now let’s see what Gryffindor has come up with!” Professor Flitwick chirped merrily in front of the portrait hole.</p><p>“Oh my,” said Professor Sinistra. “It’s very <em>festive</em>.”</p><p>It was at that. Harry was also pretty sure that no one could claim that Gryffindor didn’t have house pride considering the sheer amount of red and gold that was included.</p><p>Tinsel hung everywhere along with fake snow collecting in the corners and falling from the ceiling, which itself was absolutely covered in glittering flashing baubles of lights. Harry was thought that at least ten were saying rude messages in Morse Code, given some of the giggles that happened during their making, but he couldn’t confirm it. The unicorns in the tapestries lining the walls were also suitably bedecked with wreaths and the like courtesy of Dean Thomas and one of the lower years who was incredibly good at embroidery. Dean Thomas’s other contribution hung over the balcony overseeing the common room and periodically the letters swirled and shifted to spell different holiday greetings while a pride of festive lions stalked, played and (audibly, as that was the new charm Dean had learned, Harry guessed) roared along the edges.</p><p>As if on cue from the banner, a wild riot of fireworks and what was hopefully a version of Hermione’s blue fire from first year (although in red and gold) exploded, haloing the various baubles and trinkets, and granting an ever warmer glow to the snow.</p><p>The various judges made notes on their clipboards, once Flitwick was back on his feet after leaping backwards and tripping in surprise at the noise, as they explored the common room.  Occasionally there were sounds of amusement or approval.  Then the judges nodded to each other and filed out with Madam Hooch bring up the rear.</p><p> </p><p>Later that evening the results were announced. Ravenclaw won, with Hufflepuff coming in a close second. Both Gryffindor and Slytherin were docked major decorations points for the various rude messages hidden among their decor, despite their creativity.  Apparently not having rude messages was its own entire category of scoring. Once the offensive decorations were altered or removed, the common rooms were to be open to everyone to observe for the rest of the evening.</p><p>It was ultimately a very restful day for Harry, which was good as the Yule Ball was the next day.</p>
<hr/><p>And we all know how the ball goes....</p><p>Kudos and comments welcome!</p><p>~Fins</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Reasons Ravenclaw won, besides lack of insults: taste.  Hufflepuff went traditional but very cozy and was lovely bit of hodgepodge, but the Ravens went hard on unifying themes and stuff.  It was very winter wonderland with a forest and night sky and bronze lanterns and trees etc. etc.</p><p>Slytherin also ran with it's colors and basically created a lovely "outdoor" Christmas Ball with lots of yew and wild-eyed shadows that whinnied ala a Wild Hunt.</p><p>(Did the Ravenclaws rig the scoring a bit with that insult category?  The world may never know.)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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